One player who lighted up the Premier League in the 2020/21 season was Bruno Fernandes bur he appears to be an unsung hero. The Portuguese player is one of the few midfielders who have blossomed in an attacking role at Manchester United in the last decade, and this calls for some credit on his part.
Bruno Fernandes can play comfortably in the middle of the park or on the right and left flanks of midfield and he has hardly fallen short when needed by the Red Devils.
His performances since his arrival at Old Trafford are a pointer that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men would be in attacking chaos without his contribution.
Some decent midfielders who play similar roles have come to Manchester United and failed to make a mark even after impressing significantly in their previous clubs.
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The likes of Angel Di Maria, Shinji Kagawa, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Juan Mata have their share of the story to tell in this regard.
However, Bruno Fernandes has established himself as an exception to this regard and is untouchable in the Man United team regardless of the mainstays he met on his arrival from Sporting Lisbon.
Although he has attracted criticisms for supposedly not showing up in big games, he’s still arguably the main man at the club. Since joining the Red Devils, the Portugal international who is also repping Portugal in a key role in the ongoing European Championship has been brilliant.
It can be recalled that he joined the Red Devils in the winter transfer window of the 2019/20 season. Despite arriving late, his numbers at the end of the season spoke volumes of his attacking and creative ability as he scored 8 goals and provided 7 assists in 14 Premier League games.
He ramped up the numbers in the 2020/21 season in all competitions. In the Premier League, he scored 18 goals and provided 12 assists in 37 games. His number of PL apps in the season shows how indispensable he presently is at Man United under Solskjaer.
In the UCL, he made 6 appearances, scored 4 goals, and provided 1 assist although the Red Devils conspired to get eliminated from the group stages of the competition.
In the Europa League, he scored 5 goals and provided 4 assists in 9 games although they eventually lost the final of the competition to Villareal.
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His numbers were decent but the notable achievement with the Red Devils is that they’ll be in the UEFA Champions League next season after ending up as Premier League runners-up.
Bruno Fernandes is one of the best players in the Premier League and just maybe the lack of silverware may have worked against his being awarded any individual award at the end of the season.
That’s one aspect the club should work towards next season if his contributions for them must see him rub shoulders with the best in the land with regards to individual awards.
Regardless, he is an unsung hero in the Premier League and in European football currently. He was impressive in his team’s opener against Hungary at the ongoing Euros and we look forward to the magic he conjures against Germany on Saturday in a crunch encounter.
Kenneth is a an avid soccer follower, fan and writer. He is a consistent follower of the sport and is a fan of Chelsea FC.